Flush-tank.



G. T. HANCHETT.

FLUSH TANK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY23, I913.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

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0.. PH 7!;- lTHO-. WASHINGTON. D.

'HE NORRIS PETER GEORGE T.

.I' 1 TE HANCHETT, OF NEW YQRK, N. 1., ASSIGNOR TO S. FISCHER MILLER, OF

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SOUTH ORANGE, NEVJ JERSEY.

FLUSH-TANK.

Application filed May 23, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Gnonor. T. HANOHETT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Flush- Tanks, of which the following is a full and clear specification.

My invention relates to flush tanks and the particular improvement which the invention provides resides in the control or operation of the discharge of liquid therefrom.

The objects of the invention are mainly to provide an improved form of manually operated discharge control, wherein the necessity of valves and packings is avoided, and to provide an improved manual control of the discharge operation in flush tanks of that type in which the discharge occurs automatically at regular intervals, independent of manual operation. In this con nection it should be stated that my inven tion may, as a matter of fact, be quite independent of the automatic discharge, according to the particular arrangement of the other parts of the apparatus in which my invention is embodied, and there need be no automatic discharge at all.

Another important object of my invention is to prevent discharge prior to the filling of the tank up to a predetermined level.

Flush tanks are already known in which the discharge occurs through a U-shaped trap, the long leg of which extends downward from a point above the bottom of the flush tank proper, and is inclosed at its upper end in a bell which extends below the inlet of the Ll-shaped trap with a suitable water passageway between the two for the admission of water into the lower part of the bell, which gradually rises within the bell to a point where it overflows into the U-shaped trap. In the operation of this type of flush tank dischar e, the liquid normally stands in the short leg of the U-shaped trap, and is there sustained at a higher level than in the long leg of the trap by the trapped air, which has been comressed within the bell and upper portion of the long leg of the trap by the rise of the liquid within the bell. When the liquid in the flush tank has reached such a level as to force the level in the bell above the in let to the U-shaped trap, the contents of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

Serial No. 769,430.

flush tank siphon out and discharge to the outlet or" the short leg of the trap until the level is reached in the flush tank, which breaks the continuity of the column of liquid and admits a new supply of air into the bell and the long leg of the trap. My invention may be applied in a flush tank of this type in which the supply of liquid to the tank is continuous, so that the automatic filling and discharge of the tank take place as usual or it may be applied in a flush tank of this general nature, in which the supply of liquid is cut oif automatically by a float valve, or the like, at a predetermined level before the condition at which automatic discharge would occur is reached. In other words, it will be seen that the invention is applicable to automatic discharge flush tanks and also to those in which the feature of automatic discharge is not present.

The principle upon which one feature of the invention is based resides in the manner in which the transmission of the back pressure of the column of liquid in the short leg of the lJ-shaped trap, to the rising liquid within the bell, is overcome. Heretofore the back pressure which is transmitted by the compressed trapped air has been overcome by increasing the head of the liquid within the flush tank. According to the embodiment of my invention herein; shown the back pressure transmission is overcome, by relieving the compressed trapped air seal in the bell or long leg of the U-shaped trap, as for example, by moving the bell or establishing an escape communication for the air into the liquid within the flush tank or in any other desired manner.

The embodiment of these principles of operation which I have selected for purposes of illustration herein, operate upon the principle of moving the bell, the liquid, as it discharges, drawing the bell back to its original position.

The feature of preventing premature discharge of the liquid from the tank, is of especial importance in connection with. flush tanks of this particular kind, wherein a continuous escape of the liquid from the tank might be caused by the premature discharge. The prevention of premature discharge is, however, not to be regarded as limited to any particular kind of flush tanks. Under the broad principle of this feature of my invention I may prevent premature discharge 1n various ways, but that which I have here- 111 shown for purposes of lllustration comprises a connection between the bell, or

analogous member, and the hand engaged actuating member, which is incapable of transmitting to the bell, or the like, more than a predetermined force, which is insuflicient to operate the hell, or the like, when the flush tank is not filled up to a predetermined level, but which is suiiicient for greater levels. In conjunction with this transmission mechanism or connection in the present instance, I cause the bell to be of a certain prescribed weight, as by suitably proportioning the same, which weight when not submerged is too great to be moved by the force which the transmission connection can convey, but when submerged in the liquid and thus buoyed thereby can be moved by the transmission connection.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section of a portion of the flush tank having the weighted bell and the yield ing connection between the bell operating lever and the hand engaged member for preventing premature discharge; Fig. 2 is a detail view of a bell operating lever'connected with the hand engaged member by a yield ing connection in the form of a leaf spring, and Fig. 3 is a similar view in which the bell operating lever is connected with the hand engaged member by a yielding connection in the form of a weighted lever, pivoted to said bell operating lever.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 8, the provision of a weighted bell and a yielding oper ating connection therefor are herein shown so that when the flush tank is not filled up to a certain predetermined level, the bell can not be operated to discharge the liquid, but when filled to, or beyond this level, the bell is sufiiciently buoyed by the liquid to enable J its operation by the yielding operating connection. It is immaterial to the operation of this feature of my invention whether the bell be in itself of such weight as to resist, when not submerged, operation by the yielding connection, or whether this Weight be occasioned by the provision of special means. To clearly illustrate the invention 1 have shown in Fig. 1 a bell 40, having secured to, or integral with, its upper surface a cup or vessel 4-1, which will normally remain filled with the liquid supplied to the tank 10. A pull rod and link 42 and 43 guided in the Copies of this patent may be obtained for lug 44 is connected by a tension spring 45, with the bell operating lever 46, which latter is connected to the bell by the link 47. A stop disk or the like, 48 is fixed on pull rod 42, upon the guide lug 44, sothat the substantially the same, the tension spring 45 being here substituted by a leaf spring 49, which is suitably secured to one end of a bell operating lever 50.

In Fig. 3, the bell operating lever 51 has pivoted thereto at 52 a weighted lever 53,

which normally rests upon a lug 54, which projects from the end of bell operating lever 51. The unweighted end of lever 53 is suitably connected for manual operation with the link 55, so that upon pulling the linlr 55 the weighted lever 53 will be operated about its pivot 52, without moving bell operating lever 51 when the" bell. is not submerged, but when the bell is submerged the lever 53 will not move upon its pivot 52,

thereby transmitting to bell o erating lever 51 the pull exerted on'the link 55.

It is obvious that many mechanical. constructions may be employed to take advantage of the difference in the effective weight of the bell when submerged and when not submerged, but those herein shown will be suflicient for purposes of illustration;

I claim:

The combination with a flush tank having a discharge outlet, a trap leading therefrom, and an air trapping bell inclosing said outlet and normally submerged in the liquid within the tank; manually operated means comprising a yieldingtransmission 00111160 tion and a stop, adapted totransmit a limited force sufiicient to move said bell when submerged to a predetermined level for re. leasing the liquid, but insufiicient to move said bell when not submerged to said predetermined level.

GEORGE T. HANCHETT. Witnesses:

' WM. E. KNIGHT, M. G. CRAWFORD.

fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

